Until you know it's an item your going to use a lot you should go with the cheapest you can find. K-Mart, Walmart, etc. items are great to use for this.
Use them until they wear out and find the properties you need in said items. Sometimes the Cheapo version is all you need.
When you find you need an upgrade on something then a good internet search with your acquired knowledge is in order.
Every kitchen/chef needs something.
Figuring out what that is and how much to budget for it is a subjective thing.
I always start cheap and place any replacements into the learning curve.
Some of the cheapest things I ever acquired are still around and functioning very well after years of use.